Fake child abduction could result in real charges, authorities say

Law enforcement officials in Sequim, Wash., are exploring their options after a fake child abduction filmed for a video now posted on YouTube terrified observers who were present at the city’s Carrie Blake Park.

Possible charges against those who were involved in the Saturday incident include misdemeanor dangerous conduct or failing to obtain a permit, city attorney Craig Ritchie told the Peninsula Daily News.

He doubted that more serious charges, such as reckless endangerment or “maintaining or permitting a nuisance” could be proven at trial.

At least one parent gave chase to a white van after it pulled up near a group of children at the park late Saturday afternoon and a masked man jumped out and grabbed a small boy, the newspaper reports. The child was later identified as the man’s son, and the man later returned to the park to let onlookers know it had not been a real abduction.